Desiree Gruber
American publicist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Desiree Gruber (born June 25, 1967) is an American television producer, investor, and entrepreneur. She was an executive producer of the fashion reality television competition Project Runway[1][2] and is the co-founder of DGNL Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund that has invested in brands including Banza Pasta, Just Water, Magic Spoon Cereal, Popchips, and Maven Health.[3][4][5][6] She is also the founder and CEO of a creative agency, Full Picture.[7][8][9]
- Television producer
- entrepreneur
- fashion publicist
- venture capitalist
Desiree Gruber | |
|---|---|
Gruber in 2019. | |
| Born | June 25, 1967 |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Known for | Project Runway, Victoria's Secret Fashion Show |
| Title | CEO of Full Picture Co-Founder of DGNL Ventures |
| Board member of |
|
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | www |
Early life and education
Gruber was born on June 25, 1967, in Miami, Florida.[10][11][12][13] In an interview with Daily Front Row, Gruber said that her father was a businessman and a green beret and he had her enrolled in ROTC when she was in college, which helped her build leadership skills.[14]
Career
Early career
She started her professional career as an assistant in the A&R department for EMI Records in 1989, and as the general assistant on the New Music Seminar in 1990.[15]
In 1991, she joined the marketing agency Rogers & Cowan as an assistant publicist, later promoted to director of entertainment, and eventually to vice president of entertainment in 1997. During her time there, she helped in the publicizing and branding of Victoria's Secret, The Limited Inc., and Elite Model Management. She also worked on U2's PopMart Tour and Miramax Films.[16][17][1] In 1995, she produced the inaugural Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and continued to produce the annual event for over 20 years.[1][18]
Full Picture and producing
In 1999, she left Rogers & Cowan to establish her own production company, Full Picture.[19][20] In the beginning, her works included Victoria's Secret supermodel Heidi Klum and designer Roberto Cavalli. She had also done some advising to supermodel Naomi Campbell.[21][22]
In addition to Project Runway, Gruber's television producing credits have included Lifetime's Seriously Funny Kids[23] and unscripted projects at FOX,[24] NBC, and CBS.
In 2023, she was added to the CNBC Changemakers Advisory Board, to help select CNBC's annual Changemakers award list recognizing notable women in the business world.[25]
With her husband, Kyle MacLachlan, Gruber produced PodcastOne's Varnamtown podcast alongside Epic Magazine co-founder Joshua Davis. The true crime series explores Varnamtown, North Carolina's ties to Pablo Escobar.[26]
In 2025, Gruber and MacLachlan launched What Are We Even Doing?, a weekly series in which MacLachlan interviews younger actors and artists about their creative processes. Distributed by iHeartRadio's Elvis Duran Podcast Network, the podcast has featured guests such as Kaia Gerber, Dylan O'Brien, Benito Skinner, and Caleb Hearon.[27]
Project Runway
In 2004, Gruber developed Project Runway alongside Heidi Klum and Full Picture's television department.[14] She helped convince her then-neighbor, Michael Kors, to serve as a full-time judge on the show. [28] She produced the series through its sixteenth season, receiving a Peabody Award in 2007[29] and 14 Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Reality Competition Program.[30]
Gruber was also an executive producer on spinoff series Project Runway: Junior, Project Runway: Threads, and Models of the Runway.
Investments
In 2016, she joined Nir Liberboim to co-found DGNL Ventures,[4][5] backing brands like Living Proof, Songza, Ladder, Judy, Icelandic Provisions, Wander Beauty, and Sir Kensington's.[3][4][5][6][31] Gruber has also invested in Unrivaled,[32] YUMI,[33] Cymbiotika,[34] and Phia, an AI-powered shopping assistant co-founded by Sophia Kianni and Phoebe Gates.[35]
She previously co-founded, Theodora and Callum, "an accessories-based line inspired by world travel."[36]
Philanthropy
In 2016, Gruber worked with former First Lady Michelle Obama on her "Let Girls Learn" campaign.[37][38] One of the campaign's key components was the anthem "This Is for My Girls", written by Diane Warren and introduced to the campaign through Gruber. The final track featured Zendaya, Kelly Clarkson, Kelly Rowland, Janelle Monáe, Missy Elliott, and others.[citation needed]
As of 2018[update], Gruber was serving on the New York regional board for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.[39][40] In 2018, she was honored alongside Ringo Starr at the organization's annual Snowflake Ball, where she received the Spirit of Compassion Award for her work.[41]
Since 2001, she is a board member of God's Love We Deliver, which provides meals for people living with life-threatening illnesses.[39][42] She began volunteering with the organization shortly after her brother, Jeff, died from AIDS-related complications in 1989.[43][44]
Personal life
Gruber met and began a relationship with actor Kyle MacLachlan in 1999.[45][46] They married on April 20, 2002.[13] Their son, Callum Lyon MacLachlan, was born in Los Angeles in 2008.[12] The family has residences in Los Angeles and New York.[47][48] They previously had two dogs, Mookie and Sam, who were featured in an early YouTube webseries.[49][50] As of 2018[update], they have a Jack Russell Terrier-poodle mix named Elvis.[51]
Awards and nominations
| Primetime Emmy Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
| 2005 | Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Project Runway (Season 1) | Nominated | [52] |
| 2006 | Project Runway (Season 2) | Nominated | [53] | |
| 2007 | Project Runway (Season 3) | Nominated | [54] | |
| 2008 | Project Runway (Season 4) | Nominated | [55] | |
| 2009 | Project Runway (Season 5) | Nominated | [56] | |
| 2010 | Project Runway (Seasons 6-7) | Nominated | [57] | |
| 2011 | Project Runway (Season 8) | Nominated | [58] | |
| 2012 | Project Runway (Season 9) | Nominated | [59] | |
| 2013 | Project Runway (Seasons 10-11) | Nominated | [60] | |
| 2014 | Project Runway (Season 12) | Nominated | [61] | |
| 2015 | Project Runway (Season 13) | Nominated | [62] | |
| 2016 | Project Runway (Season 14) | Nominated | [63] | |
| 2017 | Project Runway (Season 15) | Nominated | [64] | |
| 2018 | Project Runway (Season 16) | Nominated | [65] | |
| Misc. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Association | Honor | Result | Ref. |
| 2007 | Peabody Awards | Project Runway, "for using the television reality contest genre to engage, inform, enlighten and entertain." | Won | [66] |
| 2010 | Fortune | Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs | Honored | [67] |